Improvement in powder-flask chargers



C. C. DLCKEY.

Charger for Powder Flasks.

No.'52',l47. Patented Jams 1866.

III/A Willi ilnventpr:

Witnesses:

UNTTED STATES PATENT EErcE.

CLEMENT O. DIOKEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN POWDER-FLASK CHARGERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,l1fi7, dated January23, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLEMENT G. DIOKEY, Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedCharger for Powder-Flasks; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable othersskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichFigure l is a central section of the charger, taken in the line a: m,Fig. 21, showing the same when discharging the powder into the muzzle ofa gun. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan viewof the device for cutting off the flow of powder from the flask.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention consists in mounting the charger on trunnions which work ina suitable support arranged on the top plate or cap of the flask, sothat the same will turn freely in such manner as to permit the insertionof its end in the muzzle of the gun, and at the same time, in order todischarge its contents therein, make it necessary to turn the flask in ahorizontal position, and thus bring the hand away from over the muzzleof the gun.

To enable others to understand my invention, I will proceed to describeit.

A represents the top plate of the flask, which is secured to an innerplate, B, by screws to a passing through them, as shown in Fig.3. Aspace is left between the two plates sufficient to admit of there beingplaced between them the feed cut-off b. This cut-off is of a peculiarshape, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 3. It is secured in place byone of the screws a, which hold the plates A and B together, and a bentspring, 0, is employed for closing the same after it has been opened tolet the powder run into the charger. The form of this cut-off is suchthat it will effect ively close the hole in the plate B, and it operatesin a manner that will prevent that grating of the powder which is usualwith the tlasks now in the market.

G is the charger, which is mounted on trunnions working in a support, D,which is secured to the plate A near its center, so that it will bedirectly over the holes ffin the plates A and B. A spring, g, isprovided, which is secured to the support D in such manner as to pressagainst the charger and cause it to assume a vertical position after ithas been withdrawn from the muzzle of the gun. 0n the end of the supportD the partition-plate E is arranged, which closes the area across thecharger near the end thereof.

Inside the charger, near the lower end thereof, I arrange thecharge-regulating device. It consists of a tube, h, to be secured to theinside of the charger, in which there is arranged to slide a piece, '5,it being operated by a pin, j, which extends through a slot in the sideof charger. By shoving in or out this piece t the charge is regulated ina proportion just equal to the room taken up by this piecet' when slidout. By arranging the charger in this way I effectually remove thedanger of injuring the hand resulting from a premature discharge of thegun or explosion of the flask when loading the gun. The hand and theflask, it will be observed, are not over the muzzle of the gun when thepowder is being placed therein, and they can never be in that positionthrough inadvertence, for, though the flask may be held over the muzzleof the gun, the powder will not run out of the charger till; the flaskis turned down to withdraw the partition-plate from across the charger.The regulating device is simple and efficient, and the whole chargerworks easily and with accuracy.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patcut- The combination of the nozzle 0, connected by thetrunnions to supports 1), the valves E and b, and spring g, all arrangedand constructed to operate as and for the purposes described.

CLEMENT O. DIOKEY.

Witnesses:

DAVID BEIsLER, A. B. GARDNER.

